Sampras Hammers Rios to Claim First BlackRock Title
Pete Sampras hammered Marcelo Rios 6-2, 7-6(5) in the Sao Paulo final to win his first title on the BlackRock Tour of Champions.
The American was giving away four years to Rios, but his serve would not have looked out of place at Wimbledon next week as he rushed through the opening set with breaks in the fifth and seventh games. In the second set, neither player could convert break-point chances and the set went to a tie-break which Sampras won to finish the match.
“I’m very happy to finish the week with the title,” said Sampras, who hit 16 aces in the match. “I enjoyed playing here in front of this crowd in Brazil.”
Rios was disappointed, but paid tribute to Sampras.
“Pete is playing very good tennis and it was hard to beat him as his serve is so big. I hope to have other chances to play him. On this surface it is obvious that he has a big advantage but in the future I hope to have a second shot at him.”
In the 3rd/4th place match, Brazilian Jaime Oncins battled past countryman Fernando Meligeni 6-2, 6-7(6), 10-7 in one hour and 30 minutes.
The circuit now moves on to Istanbul, Turkey next month. It will be the first time that the BlackRock Tour of Champions has ever visited Turkey.
RESULTS, SUNDAY 22nd JUNE, 2008
Jaime Oncins d. Fernando Meligeni 6-2, 6-7(6), 10-7 (Champions’ Tie-break)
Pete Sampras d. Marcelo Rios 6-2, 7-6(5)
FINAL GROUP STANDINGS
GROUP THOMAZ KOCH
Pete Sampras 3-0 (6-1)
Fernando Meligeni 2-1 (5-3)
Marc Goellner 1-2 (3-4)
Thomas Muster 0-3 (0-6)
GROUP CARLOS KIRMAYR
Marcelo Rios 3-0 (6-0)
Jaime Oncins 2-1 (4-3)
Andrei Cherkasov 1-2 (3-4)
Jaime Yzaga 0-3 (0-6)
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS 2008 TOUR OF CHAMPIONS RANKINGS (after five events)
POS. PLAYER PTS
1 Michael Stich 650
1= Marcelo Rios 650
3 Anders Jarryd 525
4 Pete Sampras 400
5 Thomas Muster 390
6 Pat Cash 340
7= Mikael Pernfors 330
7= Marc-Kevin Goellner (WC) 330
9 Goran Ivanisevic 260
10 Henri Leconte 240
11= Chris Wilkinson (WC) 200
11= Cedric Pioline 200
11= Jaime Oncins 200
14= Jeremy Bates (WC) 125
14= Albert Costa 125
14= Fernando Meligeni 125
17= Sergi Bruguera 80
17= Magnus Larsson 80
17= John McEnroe 80
17= Andrei Cherkasov 80
21= Bjorn Borg 60
21= Carl Uwe Steeb 60
21= Jaime Yzaga 60
*WC denotes Wild Card.
The BlackRock Tour of Champions Calendar 2008
Belfast, Northern Ireland – February 21-24 (Tennis Legends)
- Champion: Anders Jarryd; Runner-up: Mikael Pernfors
Barcelona, Spain – April 24-27 (Champions Cup ‘08)
- Champion: Marcelo Rios; runner-up: Michael Stich
Rome, Italy – May 10-11
- Champion: Thomas Muster; runner-up: Goran Ivanisevic
Hamburg, Germany – May 14-17 (BlackRock Tennis Classic)
- Champion: Michael Stich; Runner-up: Marc-Kevin Goellner
Sao Paulo, Brazil – June 19-22 (Nossa Caixa Grand Champions Brasil)
- Champion: Pete Sampras; Runner-up: Marcelo Rios
Istanbul, Turkey – July 17-20
Graz, Austria – July 29-August 2 (Tennis Masters)
Algarve, Portugal – August 5-8 (Vale do Lobo Grand Champions CGD)
Paris, France – September 18-21 (5e Trophée Jean-Luc Lagardère)
Luxembourg, Luxembourg – September 25-28
Eindhoven, Netherlands – October 2-5 (AFAS Tennis Classics)
Budapest, Hungary – October 9-12
Frankfurt, Germany – November 13-16 (klarmobil.de Champions Trophy)
Brussels, Belgium – November 20-23
London, UK – December 2-7 (BlackRock Masters Tennis)
OTHER INFO
BlackRock is a premier provider of global investment management, riskmanagement and advisory services to clients around the world. The rebrand from the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions to the new BlackRock Tour of Champions,
stemmed from the merger between BlackRock and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers on the 29th September 2006. This merger united the predominantly US fixed income institutional heritage of BlackRock with that of Merrill Lynch
Investment Managers’ award-winning global retail equity franchise.
BlackRock is one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firms. At December 31, 2007, BlackRock’s assets under management (AUM) was US$1.357 trillion. The firm manages assets on behalf of institutions and individuals worldwide through a variety of equity, fixed income, cash management and alternative investment products. In addition, a growing number of institutional investors use BlackRock Solutions(r) investment system, risk management and financial advisory services. Headquartered in New York City, as of December 31, 2007, the firm has approximately 5,500 employees in 19 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. For additional information, please visit the Company’s website at www.blackrock.com.
South Africa’s international flagship airline and the continent’s most awarded carrier, South African Airways is the official airline of the BlackRock Tour of Champions. Its modern fleet features a comfortable Economy Class cabin recently reconfigured for extra legroom and a Premium Business Class cabin featuring the airline’s award-winning, lie-flat seat. Complimentary South African wines, inspired cuisine and personal on-demand entertainment for all travellers make the trip to Africa fly by. Built on a venerable 72-year history of bringing the world to Africa and taking Africa to the world, the airline’s network is unsurpassed on the continent – connecting travellers to more than 20 destinations within South Africa and more than 20 cities across Africa. As a recent member to the worldwide Star Alliance, South African Airways is now able to offer its customers 852 destinations in 152 countries and more than 15,500 flights daily.
For the Latest News, Features and Updates from the BlackRock Tour of Champions: www.blackrocktourofchampions.com
and for further information: www.blackrockinternational.com/tourofchampions
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